2 Best Sights in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Vibrant with growers and maker wares, the sprawling Sunday market here (May from October, 10–2) is a fine excuse to explore this wondrous, light-filled, almost cathedral-like space, said to have been the largest steam locomotive repair facility in the country in its heyday. The early-20th-century Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe buildings here, built on the Atlantic & Pacific originals from the 1880s, put you at the center of how Downtown (or New Town, as it was then known)—and modern Albuquerque—came to be. The market occupies the 1917 Blacksmith Shop. Nearby, the railyard's 1914 Storehouse building now houses the growing Wheels Museum, which captures local rail history with model train equipment and lots more ( www.wheelsmuseum.org). A spectacularly massive 1944 AT&SF Steam Locomotive (No. 2926) is currently under restoration in the Sawmill neighborhood and may be visited during limited public hours; it may eventually find its home here as well ( www.2926.us).

A former lumber-yard building located by the one-time AT&SF Railway line in the city’s old Sawmill district has been turned into a grand food hall that resonates with a sense of history and place. Some two dozen dining, shopping, and drinks vendors offer an eclectic range of high-quality (and, yes, higher priced) wares. A carefully honed selection of mostly independent enterprises, all embrace a definitively fresh and local ethos—some by way of Santa Fe, like Dr. Field Goods (an established spot with food-truck roots), and others talented transplants from afar (Flora and Flora Taco-to-Go). Whether poké, sushi, taters, or tapas, a lush dessert, or a savory cone, the same commitment to in-state growers, makers, and suppliers is apparent. Stroll around a bit and you can’t help but appreciate the original architectural details (just gaze up at the fabulously restored wooden ceiling). Paxton’s Taproom has a seasonal rotation of New Mexico--brewed beers, as well as a steady set of the state’s best craft beers on tap (wines lean local as well as international). The cool Mobile Bar is ready to serve out on their grassy patio, where any food bought inside may be enjoyed as well.